'I would like to think it won't happen': Winnipeg zoo vet says of boy in gorilla pen

Assiniboine Park Zoo may not have a gorilla, but staff run drills just in case a guest falls or finds their way into an enclosure with a tiger or polar bear.

• Cincinnati zookeeper defends decision to shoot gorilla

"We have as much as we can in place to prevent that from ever happening, and as long as we continue to work with guests and guests [respect] our boundaries I would like to think that it won't happen," Dr. Chris Enright, the head of veterinary services told CBC News. 

A gorilla was shot dead at Cincinnati Zoo by the dangerous animal response team Saturday to protect a three-year-old boy who fell into the exhibit. The boy's family has said he is doing fine at home.

As the head of Assinboine Park Zoo's animal emergency response team, Enright says the news hits home. In his nine years at the zoo, he says nothing like this has ever happened, but that doesn't mean it can't. In 1988, a zookeeper was bitten and trampled by a camel at Assiniboine Park Zoo. 

"It reinforces the importance of how we respond in order to try and prevent anything like this from ever happening," he said. "We recognize that by virtue of being a zoo we have large, potentially dangerous animals on site and that feeds into so much of how we plan about how we do things and how we do things."

Currently, two barriers sit between all of the zoo's potentially dangerous animals and the public, Enright said. One barrier, keeps the animals inside the exhibit, the second keeps the public a safe distance from the enclosure.

Enright adds, the zoo is accredited meaning everything from the height of its fences to staff procedures are subject to regulations and ongoing evaluations. The zoo also has an emergency response team that reviews procedures monthly and runs drills with the entire organization, including restaurant staff, up to eight times a year, Enright said.  

Emergency procedures include firearms    

If a person finds themselves in a potentially dangerous situation with an animal, Enright said a zookeepers' first line of defence is what's called emergency recall.

"In the instance of our polar bears as a potentially dangerous animal, the one and only time they ever get marshmallows is when we give the cue for emergency recall," he said, adding they have never used this in a real situation, but do practice it. 

"The polar bears, when they get that cue that they're going to get a marshmallow, they come up and they come inside."

Enright said the second line of defence is mobilizing the animal emergency response team who are equipped to deal with dangerous situations in a number of ways, including lethal force.

"We do keep a number of fire arms in different secure locations in the zoo in order to have as fast a response as possible to different areas in the zoo," he said, adding everyone is safe at the zoo as long as boundaries are respected.